Chương 1140: [1068] - Y05.068 - Birthdays I

"You don't have to take it all yourself," Vonda said, holding her husband's hands, as the pair, near nude, embraced one another.

"There is no way…" Adam leaned in to kiss his wife's lips, feeling the roughness of her lower lip against his own, before squeezing his wife's hands.

"It's a husband's romance to take all the pain for his wife."

"It's a wife's romance to ease her husband's worries."

"I know you're romantic, my darling, but right now you shouldn't seduce me, because…"

"Adam…"

"Vonda…" Adam had taken advantage of the situation to have Vonda sit upon his lap, though it wasn't required for the Awakening. However, how could he not want to embrace his wife tenderly when they were about to spend a few hours together, out of sight of anyone else, other than perhaps Baktu.

'You better not be watching!' Mana: 25 -> 15 XP: 19 500 -> 18 500 Health: 112 -> 62 Exhaustion: 0 -> 1 Mana: 15 -> 5 Health: 62 -> 29 Exhaustion: 1 -> 2"Did you two have fun?" Lucy asked as the pair returned once they were done embracing one another whilst half nude, each feeling exhausted after hours of such an activity.

"A gentleman never tells," Adam replied, while holding his wife's hand. Vonda refrained from rolling her eyes, instead squeezing her husband's hands gently, feeling how cold they had become. Adam's entire body ached, the heat having run through his body like a fire, while his Mana had drained into his wife, beginning to unlock certain capabilities for the woman. 100 Mana. That's how much he needed to expend for him to Awaken his children and wife.

Each time, he would assist them over the course of the day, once before lunch, and once a short while after. He had decided to complete it this way to reduce the days required, allowing himself to unlock the abilities over the course of five days, allowing him to rest another five. Adam didn't ask Bell why he only needed 2 000 XP to Awaken his children with his magic, and to allow them to enchant the same way he did, or why it was only 1 000 XP for his wife.

Though he didn't speak to Bell often, he trusted Bell that much, because of all the entities in the world, Bell was the one who understood the most when it came to how far Adam would go for his children. Bell had been there from the very beginning, and, Adam assumed, would be there once he was gone. Adam continued to Awaken his wife, though midway through, there was another important matter to deal with.

"What? What do you mean?" Adam asked, holding the girl close to his chest.

"Working? I'm always working! Shouldn't I take the day off in order to spoil my Inakan?" Inakan cackled lightly against her cousin's chest as the half elf held her, the girl clutching at his shoulders as they hugged.

"We must take her for to the family estate," Arokan said.

"Inakan, come." Inakan glanced back over her shoulder, blinking through her glasses. She looked up towards Adam, her eyes filling with mischief. The girl thought deeply about who she wanted to cause mischief to most.

"Inakan, come," Otkan called, and the girl quickly scrambled away from Adam to her grandmother.

"Nana!" She climbed onto her grandmother's lap, hugging her tight, before she was whisked away to the shared estate.

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked, feeding Jirot a cucumber from her hand, though the girl had offered it to her brother first, before he shook his head, allowing her to bite into the food.

"I need to go give my gift."

"You already have a gift."

"What about second gifts?" Adam replied.

"…"

"For once, that was a good reference." Adam smiled sadly, before he made his way to the Kan family estate. He reappeared several times to the Kan family estate, even after spending his time Awakening his wife, each time with the same excuse that he hadn't given all his gifts. Adam left a little after the joke became stale, as the fifth time he had appeared, he didn't give a gem worth ten gold, but a gem worth fifty, causing Arokan to smile, for it was quite the Adam joke.

Repeat a joke so many times, it becomes unfunny, before subverting it slightly. None of the Kan family ruined his fun, for the little joy that gifting Inakan gems brought Adam softened his expressions each time, even as tired as he was. It was after he had Awakened his wife, the half elf forced himself up from his bed. Even with Lokat's medicine, the half elf still had enough Exhaustion to keep him in bed for most of the day. However, today was today.

"No," Maygak said, clutching Adam's collar tight.

"Bed."

"Maygak, how can you say that to me?" Maygak glared up at the half elf. She turned to her elder sister, Kavgak, who glared up towards her cousin.

"Bed!" Kavgak said, pointing to where he had come from. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Okay, okay…" Adam peeked down to Faygak.

"Do you want me to leave too, my Faygak?" Faygak blinked at Adam, the girl smiling shyly, before giggling and hiding her head against her elder sister's, Tavgak's, arm.

"Even though you're the ones being so naughty and growing up when I told you to stay small, I'm the one in trouble?" Adam asked, before reaching into his tunic, withdrawing a pair of vibrant orange gems.

"Hmph! Since you're both so naughty, I'll only give you one gem!"

"If you think Maygak is naughty…" Jogak joked, with Lavgak smirking at her husband's words.

"I will ask Taygak if Faygak is naughty," Kaygak said.

"I'm sick so I wasn't thinking," Adam replied, handing the girl the gems, clasping their hands over the gems so they didn't swallow them.

"You two. Make sure you have lots of fun and eat all the dessert you can today, okay?"

"Okay," Maygak assured, reaching up to rub the back of Adam's hand.

"Kaza Adam?"

"Yes?"

"Sleep time now."

"Okay." Adam returned back to his bed, groaning in pain, but smiled. He reached up to cover his eyes, unable to get their smiles out of his face.

'I'm sorry I can't do more for you, my adorable little cousins.' When it was Mokan's birthday, the boy sat with Adam, allowing the half elf to feed him. Adam was mostly recovered from Awakening his wife, but still held some Exhaustion. However, his brow wasn't throbbing quite as harshly, and his body wasn't aching quite as terribly either.

"Inakan," Adam called.

"Kaza Adam!"

"I need you to do me a favour?" Inakan sat up taller.

"I can do it. I am very good at doing favours, kaza."

"That's why I trust you to do this one favour the most." The Kan estate understood how dangerous Adam was when Inakan and Mokan appeared at the extended family estate.

"Huh? You only bring one gift for my papa?" Inakan asked, raising her brow towards an aunt of hers. She hugged her younger brother, rubbing his back gently.

"Mokan, is okay, because I love you so much." The various Iyrmen each looked to Arokan for support, but the woman did her best to not burst out in laughter. Halikan also decided to let the matter go, only because most of the Iyrmen found it hilarious, and because Inakan only poked fun at the adults, as Adam had requested. Meanwhile, at another family estate, little Dagek went around showing off his amber to his family, while his father made sure he didn't try to eat it.

Danagek also enjoyed his time at the shared estate, the boy drinking from his granduncles cup of water. Dogek wiped the boy's face clean once the boy was done drinking, fixing his hair, allowing Danagek to return back to playing with the other Gek children. The old man's eyes fell upon Dagek, one of the youngest of his brother's grandchildren. Tonagek limped down to sit at a table, tired from all his walking.

His arms were still partly aching from swinging his blade that morning, having taken the opportunity of his youngest son's birthday to push himself.

"He looks so much like little Tono," Dogek said, looming over his nephew from the side.

"He does," Tonagek agreed.

"Tono was chubbier."

"He was." The pair watched over Dagek that day, the boy smiling so brightly, unaware of the danger outside of the Iyr at his age, just how it should be. That evening, Adam sipped his medicine, thanking Logak again. It was upon seeing Arokan, the half elf sighed, allowing Inakan to return back to her mother for bed.

"You like to cause trouble?" Arokan teased her daughter, brushing the girl's hair before bed.

"Mama, you cannot blame me. Jaygak is my cousin, Jirot is my niece." Inakan shrugged, though she held a slight pout, as though expecting to get into trouble. Arokan held her daughter close, doing her best not to cry from holding in her laughter, nor the surging adoration she held for her adorable children.

'Amokan! When will you return to me?' Adam was thankful he no longer held as much Exhaustion the next day, especially when he could spoil three children.

"You think Damokan and Kalokan can protect you from me, do you?" Adam asked Alykan, who bit into her sandwich, before holding it up to her cousin. Except, it wasn't for Adam, but the girl who pouted within Adam's arms, but as Minool noted the sandwich, she leaned in for a bite.

"How you can catch my kaka?" Jitool asked.

"Your sister is fast, but I am faster," Adam replied. Jitool gasped, glancing towards little Jirot and Jarot, before biting into her sandwich.

'Kaza is so 'mazing.'

"Daddy, why you are holding kako?" Jirot asked.

"She must eat."

"Well, you see, if daddy lets her go, she might run and choke. So he needs to hold her until she's done eating."

"Oh! Choking is not good." Jirot allowed her father to hold her aunt, the girl offering her brother a bite of her potato. Jarot took a small sniff, but pulled away.

"Jazool, do you think you're safe because you're sitting next to Larot?" Adam asked, the girl looking up at him.

"Sef," the girl confirmed, chewing her baked potato.

"Well, he is a little scary too, but he's still my handsome boy."

"Kaza, you will read?" Jazool asked, her eyes expectant.

"I'll read to you when you come back, but only if you accept my gift, okay?"

"Okay," the girl replied. The girl looked at the gem.

"I do not want gem. I want kaza read to me."

"I'll do both." The girl pouted, causing Adam to back away, handing the gem to her father instead. Somehow, the Kan family knew peace that day, but it was not the Kan family which Adam intruded upon that day.

"My granduncle said I could spoil Rowajin!" Adam said.

"What right does your granduncle have to allow you to spoil my Rowajin?" Mojin yawned towards the half elf, his eyes filling with life for a moment.

"Wow! Just because he gave up the position of your Family Elder, doesn't mean you can treat him like that!" Adam gasped. Mojin raised his brows, his eyes darting over to his father, before he smirked slightly.

"Fine, but you should at least draw your axe."

"You're not the one I'm going to draw my axe for right now," Adam replied simply, and with his words, the temperature dropped. He stepped up to the little girl, whose hair was braided, her wide eyes staring up at the half elf.

"I hear you play with Alykan a lot." The girl smiled, looking up to her father, who smiled back at his girl.

"Yes."

"Do you like playing with Alykan?" Adam asked, while the girl responded with a nod.

"Good. I'm sure she's very happy to be your friend."

"I like being her fend too." Adam's eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled. He reached into his tunic.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Amber!"

"Yeah?"

"My kaka bring me amber."

"Uwajin?"

"She is come home?"

"Where is she?" Adam asked.

"She is working in foat." Adam frowned slightly.

"She didn't come?"

"No. Kaka is gone."

"Okay. I'll tell her to come back, okay?"

"Okay!" Rowajin smiled wide, the girl's eyes darting to her mother's, the woman flushing slightly with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I should have told your kaka to come back before. Will you forgive me?" Adam asked, holding the girl's hand within her own.

"Okay!" Adam's heart still sank.

"Your sister is very strong."

"I know! My kaka is the stungest!"

"That's right!" Mana: 25 -> 22 Spell: Sending"What the hell are you all playing at? Return home immediately so you can spend time with your siblings on their birthdays."

'We are at the fort to protect it,' Uwajin's sleepy voice came back. Mana: 19 -> 16 Spell: Sending"Nirot! You all need to come back right now. It's my fault for not noticing, but you should have known to come back already!"

'We need to defend the fort,' Nirot replied. Mana: 16 -> 13 Spell: Sending"I don't care what you think you need to do, you all need to come back immediately."

'It is the Iyr's request of us.' Adam inhaled sharply, glancing aside to the Iyrmen looking at him casting spells. However, it was thanks to Rajin's presence that the half elf remained unbothered by the nearby Iyrmen.

'Damn it. I must have been out of my damn mind to not notice.'

"What is the matter?" Rajin asked, his voice low, barely a whisper.

"The kids will want to see their elder siblings, but I'm told the Iyr requested them to stay at the business."

"Hmm," Rajin replied, slowly nodding his head. Then again, Adam could message him.